Hypocrite
by mav32
Summary: "Fearless Leader, who's always lecturin' me on going after criminals alone was down in the jungles doin' exactly what he tells me not to. Tell me where I'm wrong." The fragile truce between the brothers finally snaps. Rated T for minor language.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: So it's been a while since I've been here, but with a lot of stuff going on, I wanted to start writing again for an escape. This is actually an older story I never published here, but wanted to see if anybody liked. This is set after the CGI movie. Angst ensues. Please R&R. It's much appreciated. Currently a one-shot, but open to expanding.

* * *

"So, Leo…" Michelangelo began mischievously as he watched his elder brother enter the kitchen, "April told me something pretty interesting earlier today."

"Yeah?" Leonardo said, only half interested as he grabbed a drink from the fridge, thirsty after his rigorous workout in the dojo.

"Yeah… I was asking her how she managed to find you in the middle of the jungle." Leo's back was to him, but Mikey could see the muscles in his shoulders and neck tense immediately. "Know what she said?"

"What?" Came Raphael's voice.

Leo whirled around to see that Raph and Donatello had also entered the kitchen and were now waiting patiently to hear what Mikey had to say. Mikey almost grinned as he saw his oldest brother go completely rigid. "You want to tell, Leo?"

"Mikey…" Leo warned.

The orange-banded turtle spun excitedly to face his two other brothers. "Well, April was in this village looking for those killer statues, right? So she kept hearing the locals talking about this legend. They called it the 'Ghost of the Jungle'."

"Mike." The blue-banded turtle snapped, but he went ignored.

"So this 'ghost' would go around saving the villagers from their corrupt military or whatever, only very few people ever caught a glimpse of him. Funny thing was, the guys he was saving the villagers from would go crazy, saying that they'd been attacked by a giant… turtle… with swords." Mikey ended slowly, his grin growing ever wider.

Raph's reaction was quite opposite. He turned on his older brother who was shutting his eyes in horror, his head bowed in shame, praying that the last minute hadn't just happened. "Vigil-ante showboat, huh?" Raph growled.

Leo let out a short breath before answering, keeping his eyes on the floor. "Raph, it's not the same-."

"Not the same?" Raph barked out a laugh. "Fearless Leader, who's always lecturin' me on going after criminals alone was down in the jungles doin' exactly what he tells me not to. Tell me where I'm wrong."

Leo tried to meet his fuming brother's eyes and had trouble holding his glare. "They didn't have anyone else, Raph. The police were the ones committing the crimes."

"What, so the innocent people up here aren't worth our help because the police will eventually get involved? How are they any different from your buddies down South?" Raph cried, advancing on the taller turtle.

"The risk of being exposed is a whole lot higher up here, Raph. When it comes to stringing up thugs for stealing something and consequently leading someone back to your family, there's a huge difference. I didn't have that issue."

"April found you, didn't she?" Raph snapped

"Because she knew what to look for! I'm not the one who ended up in the newspaper of a major city. Those people were being killed, Raph. They lost everything. If I didn't help, no one would."

"You don't think people up here have the same problems?" Raph shouted, now inches from his brother's face.

Leo took a few deep breaths and lowered his volume. "I didn't say that. The majority? No. They don't. But you had a family to protect. You risked them for the sake of your ego."

"_YOU_ had a family to protect! Only you weren't here!"

Mikey looked on in horror at what he had started while Donnie sat at the table, hiding his face in his hands. The arguments had been non-stop for a week now. Most were just passing comments- jabs thrown into normal conversation that left the air thick with tension well afterwards. There had been a few confrontations, between the red and blue-banded turtles, but none had been this bad.

"Enough!" Splinter's harsh reprimand caused all four turtles to freeze on the spot and avert their eyes to the ground.

"So, is this what you had in mind?" The words from the eldest turtle were quiet, but the tone in which they were spoken sent ice through the veins of all who heard it.

Mikey's chest tightened in apprehension of what would come next. It wasn't often that the brothers talked back to their Sensei, but he was quite certain that Leo never had…until now. The youngest turtle was afraid to look up. He didn't like arguing- didn't like to participate in it and didn't like to hear it, almost to the point that he felt physically sick if he ever witnessed it. The way his stomach was churning in anticipation, he knew that this would be no different, even though Splinter was on the other half of the argument instead of another brother.

Leo, in his perfectly controlled way, had been holding himself back for weeks now, ever since the fragile truce created when he'd been saved from Winter's stone generals. He had responded calmly to every attempt by the other three to take a stab at him, which after Raph's actual stabs, were usually in the form of insults, either about being gone, or living in the wild, or that his training hadn't done squat to make him a better leader… Yes, most had been from Raph, but Donnie and even Mike were guilty of their own backhanded insults from time to time. Mikey was quite certain that the impervious dam that was Leonardo was about to burst.

"What do you mean by that, Leonardo?" The old rat asked, outwardly calm, but the edge to his voice revealed what was just under the surface.

The oldest turtle lifted his head, forcing his dark, intense eyes to meet his Sensei's. "Sending me away. Think it's helped yet?"

Mikey winced and wished he could just bury himself under the rock that made up their home. Leo's humor was often sarcastic, but Mikey had never heard him use it in direct conversation with Splinter, especially not in a derogatory way.

"I think we should speak in private." Spinter said in a clipped tone that hid his fury much better than his narrowed and blazing eyes could.

"No. I'm done with dealing with everything away from them. Just tell me what the hell I missed, because obviously there's something I was supposed to get and didn't, and that's screwing everything up here. You didn't send me away and expect everything to fall apart, so something went wrong."

"There is no need to lay blame."

Leo scoffed. "The blame is already here. I'm shouldering all of it. I didn't come home. I screwed up, I know that. That's my fault. I'm just missing the part where being gone helped at all. What was I supposed to do? How was I supposed to be a leader without anyone to lead?"

"You had to first strengthen yourself, and learn who you were without them." Splinter explained in a strained voice, as opposed to the calm and knowing tone he usually taught in.

"Well, I realized what I am without them-Nothing. Now I'm nothing with them too. If I hadn't spent all my time out there wondering what the hell you wanted from me, maybe I would have learned something, but all I realized is that I would be coming home empty handed. I looked up to you. I wanted to be better for my brothers. How could I come home a failure?"

"You are free to make your own choices, Leonardo. I cannot be expected to anticipate everything. I only know what should be the outcome if my orders are followed."

Mikey watched in terrified fascination as his oldest brother's body went rigid, seeming to swell with the anger growing inside of him. Despite the fire in his eyes, his tone came out soft and threatening, but it also betrayed the deep pain that fueled his words. "All I did… All I have _ever_ _done_, is what you have asked of me." A deafening silence followed and for more than a minute, no one moved. Then Leo spoke again. "You know, Raph, you're right." The red banded turtle flinched. "I am a hypocrite. I'm done taking orders." With a final look at the old rat, the eldest turtle was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Sorry it took me so long! I got sidetracked. Thank you so much for all the feedback. I really appreciate it. This may not take the direction you thought it would, but there will be action, an actual plot, and lots of 'fun' brother moments to look forward to. I have the next chapters written, so I promise to update much, much faster now. Just bear with me through this chapter first, which is admittedly not much fun.

* * *

Raphael's own words echoed in his ears, except this time it wasn't in his voice, and it wasn't him leaving.

No one tried to stop Leo. No one even moved until the door to the lair slammed shut. Raph flinched, but Mikey visibly jumped.

Splinter was the next to move as he left the kitchen in a determined stride and headed, not toward the door, but toward his own room.

Mikey finally broke the silence. "Sensei?" he asked in a timid voice that Raph was completely unaccustomed to coming from his loud and over-confident brother.

The old rat stopped suddenly and only turned his head to fix his student with a hard stare.

Mikey hesitated, but continued on. "What do we do now?"

"You are free to make your own choices." Splinter responded, and then continued on his way.

"That was… not helpful." Mike muttered once the three turtles were left alone in the kitchen.

Raph's head was spinning, still thinking about Leo. He'd never seen the eldest turtle snap like that. Raph didn't call him Splinter Jr. for nothing. Both were obnoxiously in control of their emotions and were so perfect in every way, and shoved it down everyone else's throats. It drove him insane. Leo had his weak moments for sure, but never this bad, and he'd definitely never seen the old rat as pissed off as he was.

So for both of them to crack tonight…

"Raph?" There was that nervous tone again. Instead of eliciting sympathy, it just got on Raph's already riled-up nerves.

"What?" He snapped.

Mikey flinched, but then stepped forward, the apprehension gone, replaced suddenly by an almost as rare expression- anger. "Aren't we going to go after him?"

"And why the hell would we do that?" Raph scoffed as he folded his arms over his chest.

Mike's soft blue eyes narrowed into a hard line. "Did you miss that little incident a few weeks ago, Bro? There were some big ugly monsters from another dimension and the stone psychos you let kidnap Leo? Remember that? You stepped up and we all got together to save him, had a nice brady bunch moment and everything was good? Where did that Raph go?"

Raph shrugged imperceptibly, keeping his face set in a scowl. "This is different. He left. Again."

Donny, who had been quietly standing on the sidelines, couldn't take it anymore. "You're unbelievable," He shook his head in apparent disgust.

"What did you say?" Raph growled, turning on him.

Don had only ever confronted Raph a handful of times during his short tenure as leader. The slightest suggestion of violence from Raph had always turned him aside, but not this time. "I said you're an ass." Don said calmly. "Who the hell are you to blame Leo for leaving? Who tried to quit the team over having to take orders?"

"That would be Raph." Mikey quipped.

Raph looked between his two brothers who were staring him down. This was new. Why was he to blame all of a sudden? Wasn't he still there? Hadn't he saved Leo's sorry ass this month already? "I don' have a problem taking orders." Don scoffed, but Raph continued. "I got a problem with self-righteous hypocrites tryin' to tell me what to do. Leo deserves everything he's got."

Don threw up his hands, a look of exasperation on his face. "You hate him for doing the same exact things you think you're so justified in."

"I ain't the one runnin' around preachin' one thing and doin' another." Raph countered.

"Oh you're not?" Don raised an eye-ridge in disbelief, his tone softening as his expression cracked. "For over a year you told everyone here there was no team, and yet you seemed pretty upset at Leo for not being here. Why?" Raph didn't answer, but Don went on, "Then he comes back and you hate him even more. Why?" He repeated. Again, he didn't wait for a response. "Did what he just say to Splinter mean anything to you?"

In truth, that incident was still trying to work itself out in Raph's mind. He didn't know what to think. "He's finally gettin' a taste of his own medicine?"

Don's jaw shifted as he grit his teeth, barely holding his fury while Raph continued to sneer at him. "Forget it." He finally muttered. "Mikey, let's go find him."

Don left, but Mikey lingered, seemingly studying the red-banded turtle. "You were right about one thing." He admitted. "We're not a team. We're brothers- no matter what."

Raph watched his brothers disappear as a sharp pang of guilt stabbed him the chest. Mikey was irritatingly good at creating that response with what remained of his innocence, though after rescuing Leo, Raph could remember spouting off something almost as naïve.

So what had changed?

Raph dragged his hands over his face as he came to the awful realization; Nothing. Nothing had changed. Mikey, little prick that he was, was right. They were still brothers.

The last time he'd ignored that fact, he'd watch Leo get carted away in the back of truck. It didn't matter how much he resented him, hated him, envied him… They were brothers. If he had to fight him in the lair, he would, but they would be together.

Raph stalked past the partially open door of the dojo and caught a glimpse of Splinter sitting in a meditation pose, eyes closed. He almost stopped, but shook his head and continued on. Despite all his challenges to authority, Raph had somehow maintained that their Sensei was infallible. Leo was always left to be the enforcer of his orders, so it was Leo Raph took everything out on. It was Splinter who had sent Leo away, and yet Raph had never blamed him. Raph could try to say it was because Leo had extended his stay far beyond what had been expected, but shouldn't Splinter have seen that coming? What was the logic behind the leader leaving anyways?

For the first time in a long time, he could see where Leo was coming from. That didn't let the fearless leader off the hook, but at least could understand at least partially what had just happened.

Usually Raph was the one to storm off. He needed to be alone to clear his head. That meant he had never seen what Leo did after he left. From his other brothers' descriptions, Leo had usually just let off some steam in the dojo, or meditated. That in itself had always bugged Raph. He didn't understand how Leo could be so damned collected. Half the time he picked on Leo, he was hoping to see the turtle lash out, lose his temper and do something stupid. Raph had come close and caught glimpses of what it might be like, but now that he had finally seen Leo lose it, he didn't really want to see it again. Even at the end of his rope, Leo maintained such an eerie, deathly calm. Raph thought it was a pretty terrifying sight despite himself.

And suddenly Raph knew exactly where to find his brother.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: See, much faster this time. Thanks again for the feedback! I love hearing from all of you. It picks up from here...please leave a comment.

* * *

Another rock skipped out over the smooth river until it was swallowed by the darkness.

Leo watched as the ripples left behind collided and seemingly passed through each other until they eventually faded and disappeared.

His mind automatically started to compare the ripples to his ever-diminishing influence with his brothers, but he quashed the thought before it could get any more symbolic. Splinter often spoke in metaphors, and Leo had always been fascinated by it. It added to his admiration for the rat. It made him seem wise, almost mystical.

In his new-found cynicism, Leo considered that maybe Splinter spoke in such riddles to hide the things he didn't know.

It hadn't ever really crossed his mind before that his sensei could be wrong. Sure, like any kid, he had questioned his father's decisions before, but the old rat was inevitably proven right… or maybe it was the vague nature of his instructions that made him seem right.

Leo's mind was swirling. In his obsessive effort to become like his master, he had never doubted these things before. It called into question… well… his entire life up to that point.

He bent over and picked up another rock, which was really just a hunk of concrete from the vacant and decaying building behind him. He hurled the small boulder into the Hudson, abandoning the finesse he had used before. He ignored the burning in his shoulder as the projectile crashed into the water not far away.

He watched the ripples again, though they were more like small waves now, spreading quickly over the surface of the river. Almost immediately, they were swallowed up in the wake of a passing cargo ship.

A similar ship had taken him half a world away the year before. Leo started to wish he could go back to that moment and change things so he had never left. The more he thought about it, however, he realized that wouldn't have solved anything. Things had already been in a downward spiral between him and Raph before he left. The constant fighting had worn on everyone. Don and Mike had started avoiding the feuding turtles as much as they could. Each took a shot at mediating the arguments at one time or another, but that only put them in the cross-hairs, so they eventually gave up. It was all leading toward an inevitably ugly end. That's when Sensei's plan to send Leo away had come up. Leo had been excited to go. He had thought it would advance his goal to please his sensei and become just like him.

But leaving had only delayed an unavoidable outcome. Leo had come to blows with Raph anyways, and he had come out much worse for wear. It made him wonder what good leaving did at all.

He had seen leaders at their worst as they strived for power and betrayed anyone and everyone to get what they wanted. He had witnessed their gruesome crimes against those they were supposed to be protecting. He had tried to help. He had new scars as a consequence- not all of them physical. He still spent restless nights trying to forget the faces of those he had failed. Nothing erased them. He thought saving others would somehow make up for those he hadn't, but it didn't work that way. He had become obsessed with trying to help the people, but it never changed.

Maybe the lesson was that he couldn't control everything. Not the cruel dictators in forgotten towns, and definitely not his hot-headed younger brother.

The only one Leo could control was himself. Being secluded and so utterly alone affected him in ways he never could have anticipated. He thought this solitary journey would give him time to reflect, train and strengthen himself without the distractions of home. Maybe it had, but it had also taught him how much he really hated being alone.

He had spent so long wondering why he wasn't progressing like he wanted and why he felt so empty, like he was missing something. Then April had showed up and made it seem so simple.

Leo thought coming home would solve everything, but all the problems that were there before were still there, amplified by a few new ones and over a year of festering. Worst of all, he didn't feel any better equipped to deal with it.

The cargo ship was slowly melding with the horizon, and Leo was so intent on it and his thoughts, that he almost didn't hear the footsteps. They were quiet and carefully placed. Then they stopped.

Leo's muscles had instantly tensed, but he forced himself to relax. He knew those footsteps.

"Thinkin' of leavin' again?"

Leo didn't even turn. Instead he searched the ground for another rock. "Do you want me to?"

There was a pause, and then a gruff, but almost nonchalant, "Not today."

Leo couldn't help but smile to himself. That was probably as close to a compliment as he had gotten lately. His eyes fell upon another chipped piece of concrete, this one small, flat and smooth. "Where are Mike and Don?"

"Out lookin' for you."

Leo picked up the rock and turned it over in his fingers a few times before glancing up. "You found me first, huh?"

Raph shrugged. "Guess so."

He didn't say anymore, and Leo couldn't think of anything to say, so he turned back to the water and sent the concrete chip sailing across the river until it hit, and then skipped, once, twice…. Five times until he lost sight of it.

Neither of them moved for a full minute, and then the red banded turtle bent down and picked up a rock of his own. Leo grinned inwardly. Everything was a competition…

Raph's rock was bigger and not as flat, but sheer force went a long way in causing it to skip several times. Leo wasn't counting. Clearly Raph was as he instantly starting looking for another rock.

Leo just watched him. "Why did you come out here?"

Raph hesitated and picked up another piece of concrete. This one was so large, Leo could see the rebar poking out of it. Raph tossed it up and down in his hands a few times before dropping it. He avoided eye contact and shifted his jaw, seeming to try to find his words. "Just makin' sure…"

"I'm not going anywhere, Raph." Leo said with a sigh.

Raph was silent again. He filled the awkward silence by trying to find another rock.

Leo just watched him. Raph had always put on a big show like he was trying to prove something, but that bravado was distinctly lacking tonight. He looked uncomfortable, and out of his element, which he was. Conversations with Raph were usually brief, to the point, and avoided any delicate topics. "Look," Leo sighed, "I'm sorry."

Raph had been on his way to pick up a rock and stopped, then slowly retrieved the stone and stood to face his brother, his expression thoroughly confused. "What?"

Leo quickly snatched up another flat chip of concrete as he blew out a breath. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left."

Raph continued to stare at him for another minute, his mouth slightly open. "The hell are you talkin' about?"

Leo almost rolled his eyes, but settled for shaking his head. "I shouldn't have agreed to go. It was a stupid idea." He held the rock so tightly in his hand, the sharp edge nearly sliced his fingers.

Raph was at a loss for words again. Finally, he shrugged, "I don't blame you for goin', Leo. Things were getting' bad and Splinter offered a way out."

"But that doesn't mean I-."

"Shut up a second." Raph continued, looking hesitant. "You've never disobeyed Splinter when it comes to trainin'. Him suggestin' you go was as good as an order the moment he said it. He knows that. It wasn't gonna matter how long you were gone."

It was Leo's turn to be shocked into silence. He watched Raph, who seemed disgusted with himself for saying the things he was. Leo didn't know what to think.

"That's not ta say I don't got a problem with you." Raph suddenly snapped before he looked away again, "But we can handle that, you and me. 'Cuz we've been through this… You're not the only hypocrite. We need you."

Leo managed the slightest of smiles despite his confusion. Begrudging acceptance was quite the praise coming from Raph. He didn't understand it completely, but didn't want to stop him, ask for clarification and risk ending the moment and stoking Raph's dormant wrath.

"So you gotta come back."

Leo's confusion deepened again. "I told you, Raph, I'm not going anywhere."

Raph raised a doubtful eyeridge at him. "Oh yeah? You gonna walk in the lair and go back to meditatin' with Splinter?"

Leo hesitated.

"That's what I thought." Raph scoffed.

"Raph-." Leo started, but didn't get to finish.

The night sky was suddenly as bright as daylight, and then all Leo saw was black.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for the wait! I'm so thankful for your feedback, keep it coming!

* * *

His world was a cacophony of sensory chaos. Hundreds of subway cars rumbled through his brain, the roar deafening him, their headlights blinding him until there was nothing but white. His flesh writhed on his bones, and somewhere under the crushing weight of the train screaming through his skull, his brain imagined the sensation was of a million tiny insects swarming just beneath his skin.

He tried to resist the panic enveloping him like a suffocating fog, but its icy fingers kept dragging him down onto the tracks as the train rolled over him. He was almost ready to surrender to it when a single clear note broke free of the senseless noise. It was familiar, and he clung to it, letting himself be lifted from the chaos.

Sensations started to recede into the proper corners of his brain as they stopped vying for dominance of his skull. The clear note sounded again. This time he actually understood it- and reality crashed over him, not as painfully as the chaos, but equally as disturbing.

"Raph!"

His eyes snapped open, and the blanket of white that dominated his vision dissolved slowly, revealing the horror underneath. Dark shapes took form a short distance away, launching themselves across what was only a blacker backdrop.

Raphael finally noticed the rocks digging into his knees as he knelt on the stony bank of a wide river. The wind coming off the water was cool and sharp and served to solidify his grasp on the real world.

The shapes finally made sense- to a point. Leo was there. The blue tails of his mask whipped behind him as he flipped and spun with all the control and skill wrought from 17 years of training. His swords flashed in the moonlight. Several figures darted around him, as black and elusive as shadows.

_Who the hell?_

One figure seemed to take notice of Raph's emerging coherence and started toward him, a long, glinting blade clutched in one black-gloved fist. He stalked closer, and Raph remained on his knees, feigning weakness until the shadow lunged for him, weapon held high over his head.

Raph met him in mid-air, and before the wraith could comprehend the quickness of his opponent's reflexes, he was lying face-down in the rocks, dead.

Raph fought the temporary blackness encroaching on the edges of his vision and ignored the pulse throbbing behind his temples from his sudden change in position. His hesitated only a moment as the blackness started to recede, and then rushed forward to aid his brother against the three remaining shadows.

As much as Raph and Leo fought each other, it was, fortunately or unfortunately depending on their perspective, more common for them to be fighting together against someone else. They easily settled into their well-practiced style of dual- combat, though, Raph had to admit, something _felt_ different about it. They were well past the initial awkward stages of bumping into each other, stepping into a backswing, or tripping over one another's feet. No, it was as far from that as it had ever been. Maybe he just hadn't taken the time to notice it at Winter's headquarters, or maybe this was a new development…

Regardless, these guys were not as easily defeated as the one Raph had taken by surprise. Their training was well beyond the average Foot soldier. They _looked_ kind of like the Foot. Then again, how hard was it to dress in black and carry a sword. He didn't see their insignia anyway, which was usually displayed somewhere on their person like a glowing target begging to be impaled.

Raph had only managed to draw one of them away from Leo, though his brother seemed to be holding his own against two. Considering that he had started off with four, two was probably a welcome relief. Still, he had to be tiring quickly. You can only mount an aggressive defense like that for so long before it took its toll on you.

Raph stepped up his attack, all vestiges of the battle that had raged in his skull long-gone. The shadow was on his heels. Unable to get past Raph's skilled guard, he was now hard-pressed to protect himself from the turtle's frenzied offense. Raph was pressing him back toward the water, a tedious and exhausting process, but steady. The shadow was good, but he hadn't prepared for the driftwood buried at the edge of the river. He tripped, and Raph took the split moment of unbalance to strike the deadly blow.

He didn't waste any time watching his opponent crash into the water, or the dark sludge now mixing with the current as it spilled from the lifeless body. Raph was already sprinting toward Leo, who had managed to severely maim one of the shadows with a deep slash to his thigh, but was struggling with the last. Raph landed a hard kick to the injured attacker's head, leaving him an unmoving heap as the turtle continued on the short distance to his brother.

The remaining shadow's sword was locked in between Leo's. He spotted Raph coming and leapt backwards, clear of the reach of Leo's blades. Outnumbered, he should have run, but he firmly planted his feet into the sand.

_Fine then. If he wants to die, so be it._

Raph launched his sai at the shadow, he swiped it aside with his sword easily, but left himself open to the lighting-quick attack from his left as Leo shot forward and came under his opponent's sword in a devastating strike. The last shadow fell, his eyes still open between the slits in his black mask.

Raph quickly retrieved his sai and scanned the area for any more hidden attackers before sliding it into his belt. Leo flicked his sword free of the dark stain of blood before replacing it in its sheath on his back. He was breathing hard, but remained upright and alert, his keen eyes studying his surroundings as Raph had moments before. Finally satisfied, he let out a long breath and turned to survey the carnage laid out on the beach before them.

"Who were those guys?" Raph asked, his breathing quickly returning to a resting state, though his heart still pounded in his temples.

Leo slowly shook his head, chest still heaving. "Maybe Foot…" He started, distracted, then turned on Raph, "What took you so long?" He snapped, though it didn't have the bite behind it to trigger Raph's defenses.

Raph threw up his arms. "I dunno. What the hell happened?"

Leo took a few steps forward and picked something up that had been hiding among the stones. He tossed it to Raph who caught it in one hand. The small cylinder was scorched at one end, but the block letters across the top were still easily read. "Stun grenade."

"Flash bang." Leo shrugged. "Same thing. You were closer."

Raph's confusion was evident as deep lines creased his forehead. Flash bangs? He was used to smoke pellets. He carried several in fact. They were a favorite of his. A small pop and explosion of harmless smoke served to create a distraction just long enough to let him get away from a pursuer.

But a stun grenade?

He had seen enough TV to know that they were used to _incapacitate_ an opponent in order to capture them. They were the exact reverse of the purpose of his smoke pellets- also, much more technologically involved. He'd have to ask Donny for the details, but his homemade pellets were nothing compared to the thick steel casing and chemical components involved in an actual grenade. This was military grade stuff. Professionally made.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he saw Leo gingerly fingering the edges of a dark streak across his shoulder. Raph had only just noticed it and the accompanying black liquid trailing down his arm. "They get ya?" He asked, keeping his tone casual.

Leo rolled his shoulder a few times experimentally. "It's fine." He replied, an edge to his otherwise neutral expression. "We've got to find Mikey and Don. There could be more of these guys out there."

A pained groan from behind caused them both to whirl around.

"Almost forgot about that one." Raph growled. He swiftly approached the attacker he had knocked unconscious and kicked the weapon out of the shadow's weak grip.

Blood still trailed thickly from the gaping wound in his thigh, dripping onto the rocks below and pooling into the sand underneath. Leo was on his knees beside the figure a second later, brusquely inspecting the gash his sword had caused. "Artery." He murmured dejectedly. "He's got a few minutes maybe." He added, looking up at Raph who fought not to roll his eyes.

Count on Leo to mourn the guy who had tried to kill him five minutes ago. Raph crouched down by the man's head and roughly pulled the mask from his face. The turtle had to bite back his surprise. It wasn't so much a _man_- maybe a kid in his late teens. Straight dark hair fell over his pale forehead as glassy grey eyes narrowed in defiance.

"Who are you?" Raph asked, swallowing his shock and fighting to replace it with the anger he had felt only moments before. Kid or not, he had made the choice to come here.

An insane grin split the youthful face despite the pain he had to have been in. "You thought you won." He swallowed thickly before continuing. "You were wrong."

"Won what?" Leo demanded. "Just now?" His dark eyes searched the boy's face. "That's not it. What are you talking about?"

Raph was almost taken aback by Leo's rapid questions. He had, maybe hastily, he now figured, assumed that the kid was talking about the battle they had just fought.

The youth's face contorted in agony for a moment, but he went on, his voice tight. "There are more…"

"More of you?" Raph found himself saying. "Where? Who _are_ you?"

But the boy was quickly slipping. His grey eyes struggled to focus on Leo. "You _know_." He whispered. Then his eyes slid shut, never to open again, though the shadow of a cruel smile remained on his lips.

Raph stared, and then suddenly leaped to his feet. "Know? Know what? What the hell, Leo?"

Leo just shook his head, unable to tear his gaze from the body even as he rose to his feet.

Raph had had enough of secrets from his fearless leader. His fragile truce with Leo was threatening to snap again. Their conversation from what seemed like hours, but was only minutes before rushed back to him. His hand unconsciously twitched toward the handle of his sai. "Leo!"

"We need to find Mike and Don. _Now._"


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Much thanks to everyone who reviewed. It means the world to me to hear from you.

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"They should have been here by now."

Leo winced as an empty beer can clattered against a brick wall, courtesy of Raph's restless pacing. "They have four more minutes, Raph." He explained dryly, deciding to forego the reminder to _keep quiet_ until then. It would be ignored, and if he knew his brother at all, Raph was probably hoping his antics called down another fight on their heads.

"Great," The agitated turtle spun on his heel and fixed Leo with a blistering glare, "that's enough time to tell me what the _hell_ that guy meant by '_you know'_."

Leo held his brother's gaze, unfazed by the expression, desensitized after weeks of the same. He had already agreed to explain when Mike and Don arrived at their location, but _fine. _He would let Raph think he was giving in. It was best to spread the coals and let fire die down before attempting to cross it anyways. "Why do you assume he was talking to me?"

Raph crossed the narrow alley in two strides to loom over his brother, "Because I don't _know_ what the hell he's talkin' about."

Leo calmly rested his head back against the bricks to look up at his brother's shadowed face. "And you think I would have information you don't? Except for the six times you've run off since I got back, I've been with you."

Raph straightened and crossed his arms, still attempting to look intimidating. "Considerin' I just found out what you were doin' down South, maybe it's somethin' you brought back."

"And considering you were running around in this city making enemies, it would make more sense if he were referring to you." Leo countered casually.

Raph's face twisted into renewed rage. "Except I have no idea what he means, and you clearly do!"

Leo shook his head, a lopsided smile spreading across his face. It was all so monotonous now, he found it amusing instead of insulting. "You're so eager to blame me, you aren't thinking, Raph. This has nothing to do with South America and it has nothing to do with your stint as Nightwatcher either."

Raph's anger was now tinged with confusion. "Then what-?"

"_Think_, Raph. You heard the same warning I did. It wasn't that long ago."

"You do realize how much you sound like Splinter right now?" Raph huffed.

"He doesn't always have bad ideas." Leo growled, calm resolve slipping over the fresh wound.

Raph slid down the brick wall to sit beside his brother, eyes narrowed. "Karai..."

Leo raised his eye-ridges in mock surprise. "You gonna stick with that one now, or do you want to keep trying?" A not-so-brotherly elbow to his arm had him biting the inside of his cheek.

"Oh..." Raph's remaining rage fizzled as he realized the fresh blood trailing down his brother's arm. "Sorry." It was more of a grunt than word, but years of reluctant apologies had made Leo fluent.

He shook it off. It was his fault for getting snarky with a still simmering Raph, but at least his pain had extinguished the last flames of resentment for the time being.

"Leo?" The harsh whisper came directly above his head.

"No, it's another couple of mutant turtles, ya idiot." Raph grumbled.

"Still in a good mood, I see." Mike said as he dropped from the fire escape into a crouch, wide grin gleaming through the shadows. "You okay, Leo?"

Certain his youngest brother hadn't noticed the gash on his arm, but was referring to what had transpired at the lair, Leo spared him a grateful smile. "I'm fine."

"So what's going on?" Donny asked, always straight to business. "Who were these guys you fought?"

Leo looked at Raph expectantly and got an unamused deadpan expression in return. He turned back to his more receptive brothers. "I don't know exactly, but I have an idea. You remember what Karai said the last time we saw her?"

"Who said what?" Mikey asked, almost reflexively. "Oh wait, no…she's the angry Asian chick. Yeah, I got it. Continue."

Leo raised an eye-ridge, but went on, "She said faces from our past would return. The kid Raph and I talked to said we thought we had won, but we were wrong. He meant a long time ago. He and Karai were talking about the same thing."

"But who exactly?" Donny asked, his forehead creased with concern. "We haven't made a lot of friends."

"That's what I'm not sure about." Leo admitted. He shook his head and rose to his feet, taking up Raph's abandoned pacing, albeit in a much more serene manner.

Raph was standing as well, watching the eldest brother with conflicting emotions that twisted his features into a new arrangement every few seconds. "So what do we do?" He finally spoke, his tone carefully controlled, almost strained with the effort. "He said there were more."

"I should talk to Karai. She indicated she was involved."

"Then that would make talkin' to her a stupid idea." Raph drawled.

"She helped us before." Mikey shrugged.

"Well, we all know who we think she's talkin' about, and that means we can't trust her."

"He wasn't really the type to broadcast his next move. Karai left us a warning." Leo had only met her twice, but she struck him as a true warrior, one with honor. True she had tried to take off his head the first time, but she had been willing to put that aside and had even offered respect for their skills. It didn't make her a friend, but if she could shed light on what was to come, he would risk speaking to her again.

"It was an intentionally vague warning, Leo, and he wasn't above psychological warfare." Don offered.

Mikey stepped between them, waving his arms, "Are we talking about the Shredder? Cuz, I'm still pretty sure he's dead. Did we reverse the call? Is there enough evidence on the replay to merit that?"

Leo managed a grin. "Not yet, but when a challenge is issued, you have to check the tapes."

Mikey looked pleased that his football metaphor had been carried, but then frowned. "So if he's dead, we're dealing with the second string in their territory, fine, no problem… but if he's alive, they've already made it to the red zone… and our coach and captain are beatin' the snot out of each other on the sidelines."

Leo fought and failed to restrain the roll of his eyes. "Mikey, the _coach_ and the _captain_ merely disagreed about previous play calling."

Mikey nodded, as Leo made his point, "And the captain refused to hear any future play calls either."

Leo conceded his brother's simple and yet powerful point. He wouldn't argue that the quarterback could make an audible once in a while when he saw the defense had caught them dead to rights, but the football analogy stopped being relevant when he realized they didn't know whether they were on offense, defense, what time was left on the play clock, or who even had the ball. "What do you want me to do, Mike?"

"Talk to Splinter." He pleaded. "If it really is Shredder, he has the right to know before we do anything. We can't face him divided."

"Then go tell Splinter. I'll talk to Karai and let you know for sure when I get back."

"Leo." Raph's oddly soft warning was accompanied by a contrasting scowl. "The _one thing_ we know for sure is there are _more_. Get caught out alone and there's gonna be a lot more where that came from." He said, pointing to the still faintly throbbing wound on Leo's arm.

"Then come with me." Leo snapped, his carefully cultivated mask of indifference regarding the rat disintegrating under the stares of his brothers.

"Come back." Raph said, not allowing himself to beg, but coming close. "You promised…"

His brother's quiet, reluctant addition of those words obliterated the last stones in the walls of Leo's defiance. He ran a hand over his face, if only to block out the imploring, wide-eyed gaze of the youngest turtle. "Fine."


End file.
